


Unconventional Family

by bi_swan_trash



Series: Donor Conception Stories [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Artificial Insemination, F/F, F/M, Family Dynamics, Minor Character Death, Swan-Mills Family, donor conceived
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-01
Updated: 2018-11-16
Packaged: 2019-01-07 13:30:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 13,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12233829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bi_swan_trash/pseuds/bi_swan_trash
Summary: Emma and Regina are ready to have a family, so they decide to ask their close friend Neal to help them out.





	1. Propositions

**Author's Note:**

> I'm going to start this fic out by saying that as a person, I am donor conceived. I have two moms, which is why when most people critique Henry for being a whiny baby I kind of identify with him a bit even if it's not the same situation in canon OUAT.
> 
> I'm considering doing another story in the same vein where Henry is from an anonymous donor (who obviously is Neal. I'll have to work out the details), because I understand those feelings better having come from an anonymous donor myself.
> 
> All in all, I hope you enjoy this story!

“Emma, you said you’d ask him to dinner yesterday,” Regina said, arms crossed.

“I know. And I know we’ve decided he’s the best choice, but it doesn’t make it any less awkward, you know?” Emma replied, jamming her hands into her pockets. “What if he says no?”

“Then he says no,” Regina told her, “and we’ll keep looking.” Regina approached Emma, and gripped her shoulders-- something that has always calmed Emma’s nerves.

“Alright, I’ll ask him to dinner today,” Emma promised.

“Don’t forget, the reservations are for seven on Tuesday,” Regina reminded her.

“I know, I know,” Emma replied, shaking her head and smiling.

“Good,” Regina said before kissing her cheek, “have a good day at work.” Emma kissed her partner’s lips before grabbing her red leather jacket and heading to the station.

\---

“He’s late,” Regina muttered, checking her watch.

“He’s  _ Neal _ ,” Emma reminded her. “You still sure about this?”

“Issues with punctuality don’t deter me,” Regina replied.

Emma looked over at the door just as a slightly frazzled looking Neal barreled through the door.

“I’m so sorry,” he apologized, “traffic was murder and, if I’m honest, I could’ve left my apartment a bit earlier.”

“Your honesty is endearing, Mr. Cassidy,” Regina remarked.

“Please Regina, it’s Neal,” he said, “We’ve known each other long enough for first names.”

“Of course, Neal,” Regina corrected herself.

The three of them ordered their food and engaged in a bit of small talk while they waited. Finally, the food arrived and Neal caved first.

“Alright, Ems said you two had something important to discuss with me?” Neal said tentatively. Regina and Emma looked at each other before looking back at Neal. Regina took Emma’s hand under the table, steadying her.

“Well, Regina and I have been together five years now and we’re thinking about starting a family,” Emma started.

“That’s great!” Neal exclaimed, “That’s really exciting news.”

“Yes, well, that’s why we’ve asked you here tonight,” Regina said. Neal furrowed his brow.

“You asking me to be the kid’s godparent or something?” Neal asked.

“Or something,” Emma told him, looking to Regina.

“Neal, we know a lot of great men, but we believe you to be the best choice amongst them,” Regina took a deep breath to steady herself. “Neal, would you do us the honors of being our sperm donor?” Neal slowly set down his fork, processing the information he just received.

“You- you want me? You want me to be your sperm donor?” Neal asked, shocked.

“You can take time to think about and you can absolutely say no,” Emma told him hurriedly, “we know we’re asking you to do something big and-”

“I’ll do it,” Neal interrupted.

“Wha… you will?” Emma asked.

“Yeah, of course I will,” Neal replied, “you two would be great mothers. I can’t think of anyone better to take care of a kid I’m a part of.”

“We also know it might be asking a lot of you,” Regina started, “but we would like you to be in the child’s life.”

“Really?” Neal asked. Emma and Regina nodded.

“We think it’s important that, even though we will be the kid’s moms, that the kid knows where they came from,” Emma said.

“We don’t require you to do anything,” Regina interjected, “we just ask you visit every now and then. Answer any questions the child may have as best you can.”

“Yeah, I can do that,” Neal told them. Regina’s eyes welled with tears as she beamed at him.

“This means the world to us, Neal. Thank you,” Emma told him, still a bit in shock.

“Ems, I do anything for you. You know that,” Neal smiled. “We’ve been best friends since we were kids. Who better to raise my kid?” Neal paused. “Do I call them my kid? I don’t really know the protocol here.” Emma and Regina exchanged looks.

“We aren’t really sure of the protocol here, either,” Emma admitted.

“Most couples go to a sperm bank,” Regina said, “not many couples we know ask people they know to be a donor.”

“Would you rather be Uncle Neal?” Emma asked. Neal leaned back in his chair and lifted his hands in a shrug.

“Why don’t we let the kid decide? Might be easier on all of us that way,” he said.

“That sounds acceptable,” Regina agreed. “Now, I’m sure you have other questions. Nothing is off the table. You may ask anything about all of this.”

“Who’s carrying?” Neal asked. Emma gripped Regina’s hand tighter before answering.

“I am,” she told him, “we originally thought Regina would be, but the doctors told us that she can’t carry.”

“Oh geez, I’m sorry sorry Regina,” Neal apologized. She gave him a slightly pained smile.

“It’s alright,” she replied, “the hard part is going to be getting this one to take it easy.” Neal laughed as Emma gave Regina a faux offended look.

“I can take it easy,” Emma defended.

“Do you want me at any appointments or anything?” Neal asked.

“Only if the doctor thinks you should be there,” Regina told him. “That shouldn’t be necessary, unless you wish to be there.”

“I’ll probably leave that to you two,” Neal admitted.

“Like we said, there’s no pressure to be too involved,” Emma reminded him.

“We’ll all take it step-by-step,” Regina reassured.

“So, what exactly do I have to do?” Neal asked.

“There’s a clinic we’ve researched and chosen to aid in this process,” Regina told him, “we’d like to go there in the next few weeks with you so they can test your… quality.”

“My…? Oh. Oh yeah, sure,” Neal shifted awkwardly.

“We want to try and get pregnant in the next few months,” Emma said.

“Sounds like you have a lot of confidence in my sperm,” Neal replied. Emma laughed.

“You could say that,” she said.

“I can check my schedule for next week,” Neal told them, “so we can set a date to go to the clinic.”

“We can’t thank you enough,” Reigna told him sincerely.

“Hey, anything for my two favorite ladies,” Neal said grinning.

“Guess we should finish our food before it gets cold,” Emma announced. Regina rolled her eyes affectionately, while Neal chuckled-- all of them digging back into their food.


	2. Anticipation and Joy

For the next few weeks, everything ran smoothly. Neal’s sperm quality was excellent and Emma’s cycle put her ovulation at that next week.

“We can always wait until next month,” Regina reminded her as they arrived home from the clinic visit. “I don’t want to ask you to do this too soon.”

“Regina,” Emma took her hand, “we’ve been talking about this for a year. I’m ready.” Regina smiled and kissed her. Regina grabbed Emma’s hip and deepened the kiss, causing Emma to moan. “You’d think that  _ you _ were the one on fertility hormones.” Regina laughed.

“Maybe I just want to show you how much I love you,” Regina told her.

“I’m never opposed to that,” Emma replied.

Regina grinned, “let’s take this upstairs, shall we?”

\---

“Do we call him and ask if he wants to wait with us?” Emma wondered aloud.

“I don’t think he’ll be hurt if we wait for the test together and then call him right after we know,” Regina suggested.

“You’re right,” Emma agreed, “he’s being really hands off.”

“Does that bother you?” Regina asked.

Emma shook her head, “no. I know he’s giving us our space. And I can tell he’s sincere about everything.”

“Well then get in there and take the test,” Regina urged. Emma complied, setting the pregnancy test on the bathroom counter and set a timer before letting herself be enveloped in Regina’s waiting arms.

“There’s the timer,” Regina whispered. Emma lifted her head from Regina’s shoulder. “We’ll look together, okay?” Emma nodded, still nervous. The two walked into the bathroom and looked down at the pregnancy test.

“Positive,” Emma breathed, “positive!”

“We’re having a baby!” Regina exclaimed. “We should call Neal.” Emma bounded over to the table and scooped up her phone, frantically punching in Neal’s number and putting the phone on speaker. He picked up after three rings.

“Hey, you two. What’s up?”

“I’m pregnant!” Emma shouted, too excited to hold back.

“That’s amazing!” Neal exclaimed. “You’re going to be parents!”

“We just thought we’d give you a call,” Regina told him, “you deserve to be the first to know.”

“Aw, well thanks for thinking of me, but I thought people usually waited a bit to tell others?” Neal questioned.

“Well, we’re going to be waiting until Emma’s first trimester is over before telling anyone else,” Regina agreed, “you’re the only one allowed in on the secret.”

“Wow, I’m honored,” Neal said. Emma could hear the smile on his face. “I have to go now, but I really appreciate this call, guys. I really do.”

“Bye, Neal.”

“Have a good day, Neal.”

Emma hung up the phone and looked at Regina, who immediately threw her arms around Emma.

“We’re having a baby,” Regina whispered.

“We’re having a baby,” Emma repeated, kissing Regina.

\---

“You need to start asking for less strenuous tasks at work,” Regina scolded after her wife came home looking impossibly tired.

“We haven’t exactly told anyone yet,” Emma pointed out, “I’m not out of my first trimester.”

“I think we need to make an exception for your boss. Graham will understand,” Regina told her.

Emma huffed and folded her arms, “fine.”

“I told you this would be the hard part,” Regina chuckled.

“What?” Emma asked, defensive.

“Taking it easy,” Regina told her.

“I’m not an invalid,” Emma spat. Regina paused, before biting her lip, trying not to smile. “What?”

“I think you’re starting to experience mood swings, dear,” Regina said.

“I-” Emma paused, “god, you’re right. I’m sorry.”

Regina wrapped her arms around Emma, “It’s alright, dear. We knew this was part of the deal.”

Emma took a deep breath, “I’ll tell Graham to lighten my duties tomorrow.”

“Be sure he knows he’s sworn to secrecy,” Regina said seriously.

“He may be able to keep it from most people, but he’ll never be able to keep it from Jefferson. You know that,” Emma laughed.

“Well tell him that the  _ both of them _ are sworn to secrecy,” Regina settled.

“I promise,” Emma told her.

Regina kissed her cheek before shuffling over to the calendar. “Should we invite Neal to the ultrasound?”

“He said he’d leave it up to us,” Emma reminded her.

“I know. I just think that he might appreciate being there,” Regina said.

Emma shrugged, “sure. It’s worth an invitation.”

\---

“Are you sure this is fine?” Neal asked for the fifth time.

“Neal,” Emma took his hand, “we wouldn’t invite you unless we were absolutely sure, okay?”

“It’s just, Regina isn’t here yet and it looks… well, you know,” Neal glanced around the room nervously.

“No one is thinking anything, I promise,” Emma soothed.

“Sorry I’m late,” Regina apologized, “the meeting ran longer than expected.”

“It’s okay,” Emma told her, smiling.

“Emma Swan?” a nurse called. Emma and Regina stood, both of them look to Neal who remained seated.

“Oh, right. That’s all of us,” Neal said, quickly standing-- the three of them following the nurse back into an examination room.

“Alright Emma, I’m going to need you to lift your shirt,” Dr. Whale instructed, immediately starting in on the task as soon as he walked in. “Now, the gel is going to be a little cold.” He squeezed the cool gel onto the lower half of her abdomen and spread it around with the sonogram wand.

“Whoa,” Neal breathed, “is that...?”

“Yes. that right there is the baby,” Dr. Whale informed them, moving the wand around a bit more. “The baby is progressing normally and everything looks great!”

“That’s wonderful,” Regina said happily, hold Emma’s hand tighter.

“Now at this stage it’s sometimes possible to hear the heartbeat,” Dr. Whale paused and looked around at the people standing in the room.

“Is there a problem?” Regina asked.

“Not at all! There just usually aren’t so many people in my examination rooms,” he explained.

“Well, we’d all like to hear the heartbeat,” Emma said, before looking to Neal, “right?”

“I’d like to, yeah, if that’s okay,” Neal agreed a bit sheepishly.

“It’s more than alright,” Regina assured him. “Go ahead, Doctor.” Having everyone’s permission, Dr. Whale flipped a switch and moved the wand around a bit before finding the heartbeat. A whooshing noise filled the room. Emma tightened her grip on Regina’s hand and Regina leaned down and kissed Emma’s forehead in response.

“That’s our baby’s heartbeat,” Emma whispered. Neal smiled at the display.

“You can go ahead and wipe off the gel with this towel,” Dr. Whale said, handing Emma a towel, “I’m going to go print out your sonograms. We usually only give out two sonograms-- that’s the standard-- but I think we can swing three,” Dr. Whale told them.

“Yes, I’d really like that,” Neal told him. Dr. Whale nodded and exited the examination room. Emma wiped off the gel and hopped off of the table, immediately lunging for Neal who was surprised by the sudden hug.

“You helped us get here,” Emma said, “we can’t thank you enough.”

“That’s not what she says at six in the morning when she’s up with morning sickness,” Regina joked, “but Emma’s right. Thank you, Neal.”

“Guys, its been months. You don’t have to keep thanking me like this. Honest,” Neal told them. The two women exchanged looks.

“We keep thanking you because we’ve seen some friends go down rough paths with donors,” Emma explained, “We told you at the restaurant that we didn’t know many couples that use known donors, because it’s true. We know a lot of couples that have been scorned and cheated. Not many people think it’s a good idea to know the person donating.”

“Anonymity gives people a sense of security,” Regina added.

“Then why did you ask me then?” Neal questioned.

“One, because we trust you,” Emma told him, “but also because we want our child to know where they came from. Children from unknown donors sometimes feel incomplete or lost and we don’t want that for this baby.”

“Wow, you two really thought ahead didn’t you?” Neal wondered aloud.

“We felt it necessary to put the child’s emotional needs before our fears and apprehensions,” Regina said.

“We also realized that choosing someone we know gives us full access to health history,” Emma said, “or, you know, any half siblings that may be born later down the road.” Emma smiled cheekily.

“Geez, Ems. You aren’t subtle at all,” Neal laughed.

Emma said in a sing-song voice, “I wasn’t trying to be.”

“Let’s go,” Regina nudged, “lunch is on me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! Any critiques appreciated.


	3. Telling the Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma is starting to show a little, so it's time for both women to tell their families.
> 
> Some reactions are predictable, but others are not.

“I think it’s time to start telling people,” Emma called from the closet.

“Why’s that, dear?” Regina called back.

“Because nothing fits properly anymore,” Emma told her, shuffling out of the closet and flopping back onto the bed.

“Oh, don’t be dramatic,” Regina said, “you haven’t grown that much. You just can’t fit into your favorite skinny jeans anymore.” Emma stuck her tongue out at Regina. “But, I do agree we should start telling people.”

Emma lit up. “Really?”

Regina nodded. “Really.”

“So I should call my parents and you should call yours?” Emma asked.

“Yes,” Regina agreed, “knowing your mother she’ll break my eardrums.”

Emma laughed and lightly hit Regina’s leg before getting serious. “You going to be okay calling your parents alone?”

“Daddy will be thrilled,” Regina said.

“Your mom hasn’t really spoken to you since she realized we were serious,” Emma said carefully.

Regina sighed. “I know, but I’d hate for them to lose an opportunity to change their minds. At least my mother.”

“Okay. We should probably do that now,” Emma said, brightening, “now that you’ve given me permission to tell people I won’t be able to keep it to myself.”

“And your mother will throw a fit if she’s not told first,” Regina said.

“Well, almost first,” Emma pointed out.

“I think she’ll understand we had to tell Neal,” Regina told her. “Not even Mary Margaret can argue with that.” Emma got up and went out into the living room to make her phone call, while Regina stayed in the bedroom. She dialed the familiar number and waited for one of her parents to pick up.

“Hello?” her father, Henry, answered.

“Daddy, it’s Regina.”

“Mija! How are you? I wish you would call every once in awhile.”

“I know, Daddy. I’m sorry. Mother’s opinions about me and Emma that Christmas really drove me away.”

“I know, Mija. I’m sorry your mother can’t see the happiness I see you’ve found in Emma.”

“I actually have some exciting news involving Emma.”

“What is it?”

“Emma’s pregnant, Daddy. We’re going to be parents,” Regina exclaimed.

“That’s wonderful news!” Henry shouted with glee. “Congratulations. Tell Emma, as well.”

“I will, Daddy,” Regina promised.

“Hold on, Mija,” Henry told her. He tried to muffle the phone, but Regina could hear him talking to someone on the other side,  _ “It’s Regina. She called to tell us some news about her life. Yes, you can talk to her.” _

“Hello? Regina?” her mother, Cora, answered the phone.

“Hello, Mother.”

“How are you? It has been so long.”

“Yes it has. About four years,” Regina pointed out.

“I’m hoping you’re calling to say you and Miss Swan have parted ways,” Cora said airly.

Regina sucked in a breath and steeled herself for the next reaction. “Actually Mother, we’re starting a family.” There was silence from the other end of the phone. “Please say something.”

“I do hope you reconsider before you do anything drastic,” Cora sniffed.

“Well, you see, Emma is already pregnant. About four months along,” Regina informed her.

“Emma’s carrying? Well, that’s a bit of a relief,” Cora said.

“How so?” Regina asked.

“Well you see, dear, that means this child does not concern us in the least,” Cora told her.

“What? How could you say that?” Regina demanded. “This baby is going to be my child, too.”

“Not biologically, Regina,” Cora told her, “The Mills genes won’t be contributing. That also means you can leave whenever you come to your sense, with no responsibility to the child.”

Regina was practically seething. “That may be how  _ you _ see it, Mother, but this baby is just as much mine as it is Emma’s.” Regina hung up the phone, unable to hear anymore of the slanders against her beautiful partner and the child she was growing.

\---

“Hey, Mom.”

“Emma! It’s so good to hear from you! We haven’t heard from you in awhile,” Mary Margaret said.

“Yeah, sorry. Regina and I have been pretty busy these past few months.”

“What have you two been up to?”

“Well, that’s actually why I called,” Emma said, “Regina and I are starting a family.”

As predicted, Mary Margaret let out a high pitch squeal.

“Oh! I’m so happy for you two! Wait until your father hears about this!  _ David! David, come here! _ Emma, I’m going to put you on speakerphone.”

“We’re both here,” David said, “what’s your mother so excited about?”

“Regina and I are starting a family,” Emma told them proudly.

“Congratulations, honey!” David said.

“When is your first home visit? Or have you had that already?” Mary Margaret asked.

“What?” Emma asked, puzzled.

“Your home visit. For the adoption. Or have you just decided and not taken steps yet?”

“Oh! No, Mom, you’re misunderstanding the situation,” Emma told her, “I’m pregnant!”

“I… oh,” Mary Margaret struggled.

“That’s wonderful, honey,” David said, genuinely.

Emma laughed, “Sorry for the confusion, Mom.”

“Sweetie, are you sure this was the best decision?” Mary Margaret asked suddenly.

Confused, Emma asked, “what do you mean? You were just excited for us.”

“It’s just that, sperm donation is a little selfish, don’t you think? There are hundreds of kids out there who need to be adopted. You know that,” Mary Margaret pointed out. Emma was taken aback.

“Neal agreed to be our sperm donor,” she told her mother, ignoring the jab.

“You dragged Neal into this?”

“Mary Margaret-”

“No, David! Neal might want his own family in the future. This will just complicate it for him.”

“Any woman would be lucky to have Neal,” Emma said, her temper rising, “and this just shows how selfless he really is.”

“Did you two even consider adoption?” Mary Margaret asked patronizingly.

“We did, Mom,” Emma said, sighing in frustration, “do you know how expensive it is and how long it takes? Add to that we’re two women. Some adoption agencies aren’t even allowing same sex couples to adopt.”

“We’re thrilled for you, Emma,” David said, obviously cutting his wife off, “thank you for calling us.”

“Yeah, no problem,” Emma replied, a little crestfallen, “I have to go now. Work. I love you, two.”

“We love you, too,” David said.

“Bye,” Emma quickly hung up the phone. She sat on the couch, knees pulled up as much as she could.

“Emma?” Regina called from the doorway, “is everything alright?”

“I’m hoping your phone call went better than mine,” Emma said glumly.

Regina sat down on the couch and pulled Emma into her side, “What happened? Weren’t they happy?”

“Oh yeah, real happy,” Emma told her, “until Mom found out we weren’t adopting.”

“ _ What? _ ” Regina exclaimed in shock.

Emma just nodded sadly, a tear slipping down her cheek.

Regina pulled her in tighter, “Oh, I’m so sorry, honey.” Regina was shocked. She expected the negative reaction from her own mother-- not Emma’s.

“What if she takes it out on the baby?” Emma whispered. Regina pulled back and looked at her.

“No.  _ No _ , she won’t,” Regina pressed, “I won’t let her. I promise you Emma, this child will have all the love in the world, regardless of either of our parents.”

“What did your parents say?” Emma asked, changing the subject.

“Daddy was excited,” Regina told her, “Mother was, of course, unimpressed.”

Emma sat up and put her feet on the floor, “I mean, what did your mother  _ say _ ?”

“It’s unimportant,” Regina said, giving her a sad smile.

“No it’s not. I can see it hurting you,” Emma said softly, her eyes searching Regina’s for an answer.

“I don’t-”

“Want to worry me?” Emma finished.

Regina nodded.

“We’re in this together, babe,” Emma reminded her, “I’m here for you.”

Regina took a deep breath and looked down at her hands, “First she asked if I had come to my senses about us. Then, when she found out  _ you _ were carrying and not me she… she was happy.”

“Happy? About what?” Emma asked.

“She was happy that I wasn’t carrying, because it would mean the child is not mine,” Regina told her.

“Oh, Regina,” Emma said softly, “babe, please don’t listen to her.”

“I know you’d never do that to me,” Regina said, “and I’d never abandon you.”

Emma pulled Regina into a fierce hug. She then pulled back and guided Regina’s hands to her slightly protruding abdomen.

“This baby is  _ ours _ ,” Emma said. “Nothing is going to change that.”

“I know,” Regina replied quietly, smiling down at the small bump.

“We’re both going to be late to work if we don’t get going soon,” Emma pointed out after a moment, “but I love you so much, Regina. I’ll even bring you lunch.”

“Wow, she does love me,” Regina teased.

Emma laughed and got up from the couch to finish getting ready for work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not a MM hater, so this won't last forever, I promise! I just felt like this type of reaction from someone that seemed trustworthy and close to both Emma and Regina was necessary.
> 
> When my parents told their families there was one person out of the dozen or so people told, that disagreed wholeheartedly with their decision to conceive via donor conception. Sometimes it's the people you love the most that have the most hurtful reactions. Obviously it's all good now and ironically I'm closest to her daughter lol.


	4. Showers and Fears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regina and Emma find out the sex of the baby and Ruby and Neal have a secret shower planned.

“Regina! Come here,” Emma called.

“What? What is it? Are you alright?”

Emma motioned for her to sit on the bed. “Put your hand here.”

Regina let her hand be guided to the side of Emma’s protruding belly, met with the sensation of fluttering.

“Is that-?” Regina couldn’t finish her question-- too choked up.

“Mhm,” Emma confirmed, “that’s our kid.”

“Makes me wish the baby were here now,” Regina said.

“Just a few more months,” Emma promised, kissing Regina’s temple.

“I can’t believe we’re over halfway there,” Regina told her.

“It’s surreal, right?” Emma agreed. The two women took a moment in their own world, Regina still gently holding Emma’s belly. The moment was broke when Emma’s phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Ems,” Neal greeted.

“Hey, Neal!” Emma greeted back, “what’s up?”

“I’ve thought about your offer to come to the ultrasound today,” he said, “but I think I’m going to let you two do your thing.”

“If you’re sure,” Emma told him, “we might find out the sex today.”

“Well, I call dibs on knowing in the top 5 people that find out,” Neal said good naturedly, “but yeah, I’m sure.”

“Okay. And of course you’ll be almost first to know,” Emma told him. The exchanged their goodbyes and Emma hung up.

“Neal doesn’t want to come?” Regina asked.   
“I think he’s trying to give us our domestic space,” Emma said.

“Well none of this is simple,” Regina pointed out, “it’s uncharted territory for us all.”

Emma nodded in agreement. “Should we get going?”

Regina checked her watch. “Oh! Yes, or we’ll be late.”

\---

“Everything looks to be in tip top shape,” Dr. Whale informed them, “now I can try to determine the sex of the baby if you’d like.”

“We’d like that very much,” Regina told him. Dr. Whale nodded, shifting the wand around on Emma’s abdomen.

“Congratulations, you two. You’ll be having a boy,” Dr. Whale informed them.

“Amazing,” Regina said, looking at Emma fondly.

“My dad will be excited,” Emma commented. Her smile faltered as she remembered the disagreement she and her parents were in. She quickly wiped the gel from her abdomen, and the two thanked Dr. Whale before making their way back to the car.

“Well that narrows down the name selections,” Emma joked, “and I’m sure Neal will be excited.”

“We have to make sure he’s well-rounded though,” Regina reminded her, “not to mention that, even though your father coached your softball team, that does not mean our child will be into baseball.”

Emma laughed, “I know, Regina. He’ll make his own choices.” Emma’s phone buzzed.

“Who is it?” Regina asked.

“It’s Ruby,” Emma told her, “she said we should come to Granny’s.”

“Did you tell her the ultrasound was today?” Regina asked, “I bet she’s dying to know the details.”

Emma laughed, “you’re right. I told her the appointment should be over around eleven. I wonder how long she’s tried to contain herself.”

Regina glanced at the clock on the dashboard, “about five minutes.”

“Guess we better get over there then,” Emma said.

Regina shook her head in amusement and headed toward Granny’s Diner.

When they arrived, Ruby was waiting for them outside.

“Can’t wait the whole two minutes it takes for us to get inside?” Emma joked.

Ruby huffed, “ _ fine _ . I’ll walk you in and then you have to spill.”

As soon as Ruby opened the door for them it was evident why she had texted-- it was a surprise baby shower.

“Surprise!” Ruby shouted.

“Don’t people traditionally wait until the baby’s sex is revealed?” Regina asked.

“Psh, while that’s cool and all, it’s not necessary. Kid’s gonna be perfect no matter what,” Ruby told them.

Emma beamed. That was the kind of support she had hoped to get from her parents. “Well, we’re having a boy if anyone is interested.”

“Dorothy will be pumped!” Ruby exclaimed. “She’ll want to teach the little guy about archery and camping and all that outdoorsy stuff I make her do with her friends.”

“Hey, even if we’d had a girl, she still would’ve been all over learning from Dorothy,” Emma commented.

“You’re right. She’d have become just like her aunt,” Ruby said winking. She went to take care of some food business when Neal sidled up next to them.

“I’m assuming you had a hand in this?” Emma asked.

“You know I did,” Neal replied, that mischievous gleam in his eye.

Emma hugged him tightly, “thank you.” Tears were welling up in her eyes and she hastily wiped them away. “Sorry. Hormones.”

Neal chuckled and patted her back, leading her to where she was supposed to sit-- Regina following closely behind with Ruby.

“Wow, we even get special seats,” Emma commented cheekily.

“If we do it, we do it right,” Granny told her.

“You have to open mine first,” Ruby insisted.

“And so it begins,” Regina whispered to Emma.

“Rubes, you wanna feel him kick?” Emma asked, already reaching for Ruby’s hands.

“That child is gonna be a spitfire,” Ruby commented, feeling the baby’s insistent kicks.

“He certainly has strength,” Regina agreed.

“And you guys only get half of it,” Emma told them.

“This whole thing is amazing,” Belle said, “I can’t wait until Robert and I start having kids.”

“Something tells me it’s going to be soon,” Ariel joked.

“Well, all of you need to have babies, because Dorothy and I want to be the best aunts to everyone’s kids,” Ruby told them.

“Are you two not having children?” Regina asked.

Ruby shook her head, “No. We don’t think that’s in our future.”

“You can spoil our kid,” Emma promised.

“Awesome!”

Regina rolled her eyes, trying to hide a smile as she walked over to the counter to get a water for Emma and herself.

“Hey,” Neal approached her.

“I’m surprised you weren’t run out, Neal,” Regina joked.

“I guess I got a few special privileges,” Neal said good-naturedly. He looked over toward Emma and sighed. “She told me about Mary Margaret.”

“When did she do that?” Regina asked, opening the bottle and taking a sip.

“A few weeks ago,” Neal told her. “She was really upset.”

“My business trip week,” Regina murmured, “she told me you came over and spent some time with her.”

“Is that how she phrased it?” Neal asked, amused. “I was there the entire three days. The woman can’t spend a day alone.”

Regina laughed. “Not since getting pregnant. I remember when she would get overwhelmed when we first started dating. There were weeks in which we didn’t physically see each other.”

“You captured her heart,” Neal said.

“She certainly has mine,” Regina murmured, watching Emma mingle. She looked up at Neal. “Sorry, that was too sappy, wasn’t it?”

Neal laughed. “It was a little sappy, but hey, it’s the truth.”

There was a comfortable silence until Regina said, “Emma was really upset about her mother’s reaction.”

Neal sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “I think she’s most upset, because she’s afraid they’ll leave her. I know that we thought she was getting a raw deal getting adopted at sixteen, just when we were really starting to settle into being orphans forever. But just one year in that house brought her a sense of happiness I’d never seen her experience. They really supported her and if her mom isn’t able to come to terms with this it might break her.”

“I won’t let that happen,” Regina told him, “I’ve already decided I’m going to speak with her parents next week.”

Neal looked at her, impressed. “You knew, didn’t you?”

“About her fears? Of course. I knew she wouldn’t tell me about them. She tries to put on a brave face--sometimes until it’s too late for her own well-being,” Regina said. “I just haven’t had a chance to see them until now.”

“What about your own parents?” Neal asked gently. “Emma was worried about you, too.”

Regina smiled and shook her head. “She worries too much about me.”

“Sounds like she has a valid reason this time,” Neal said.

“My father is thrilled,” Regina said, “my mother is also thrilled, but for a different reason altogether. She’s happy that the baby isn’t…” Regina faltered.

“Regina,” Neal took one of her hands into his, “this baby is yours and Emma’s. He’s  _ yours _ . I’m never going to try and take that from you, okay?”

Regina merely nodded, too choked up to say anything. Tears were already threatening to fall.

“Everything okay over here?” Emma asked.

Regina turned around and beamed. “Yes, of course, dear. Everything is perfect.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt like it was very important to put out there that this baby is Emma and Regina's. He's THEIRS. Many soon-to-be parents choose anonymous donation because they're afraid the donor might try to get custody, or the child will prefer him, etc. I truly this that known donation should become more common (whether it's through a clinic or not) and the adults really need to sit down and talk about it thoroughly before a child enters the picture at all.
> 
> Neal is a very very important piece of the baby's life and should be in it for sure, though.
> 
> What is a "normal" family at this point anyway?


	5. Patching up the Hurt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mary Margaret is forced the think about her relationship with her daughter and Regina receives an important phone call during dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo! I have finished my fall semester of college for the year so I'm rewarding everyone for their patience and posting TWO chapters! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! <3

Regina took a deep breath before knocking on Mary Margaret and David’s door.

“Regina!” Mary Margaret exclaimed, “what a surprise! David’s at work, but come on in and I’ll fix some tea.”

After they got settled with a cup of tea at the dining room table Mary Margaret asked, “so what brings you here?”

“Actually it’s about Emma,” Regina started.

“We haven’t heard from her in a few months. Is everything alright?” she asked.

Regina sighed, “Emma’s just a little… hurt,” Regina told her truthfully, “the comment you made about adoption when you found out we asked Neal to be our donor really affected her.”

It was Mary Margaret’s turn to sigh as she put her tea down. “I know it was wrong, but I can’t help thinking of conceiving with Neal’s help as selfish.”

“Talk it out with me, because Emma might not take it very well right now,” Regina said.

“It’s not even about adoption,” Mary Margaret admitted, “it’s about infertility.”

Regina gave her a questioning look.

“Before we adopted Emma, David and I tried for about ten years to conceive. We tried everything, but I’m just not able to carry. When we finally gave up, we realized we no longer wanted a baby, but we still wanted a child. We saw Emma and just knew she was the one,” Mary Margaret said.

Regina reached out over the table and took Mary Margaret’s hands in her own. “I was going to carry the baby,” Regina told her. “Emma was excited to be the partner to run around and take care of me. But then we went to the doctor and they told me I would never be able to conceive-- not even with fertility treatments. It was extremely devastating. Emma held me for hours while I cried, as I’m sure David did for you. She even said we could wait, but I asked her if she was willing to try. She was taken aback--not expecting me to be okay enough to ask-- but she readily agreed.”

“That sounds like our Emma,” Mary Margaret said, smiling. “But don’t you feel the slightest bit jealous of her?”

“At the beginning,” Regina told her honestly. “It wasn’t an easy decision for me. Not even just because I’m infertile, but because I knew that if Emma ever wanted to just leave she could--and take the child with her. But I had to remind myself who I was with. Emma was very careful around me for the next few weeks and that really solidified how much I knew she cared about me and that she’d never do a thing like that.”

“Emma loves you too much,” Mary Margaret agreed.

“Just as she loves you and David. She would be devastated if this separated you from her,” Regina told her, “I think she has been more stressed by the distance than she is admitting to. She may even be afraid you’ll leave her.”

“Oh dear, no. I’d never,” Mary Margaret rushed to say, “she’s my daughter.”

“You don’t have to convince me,” Regina said. “Why don’t you and David come to dinner tomorrow?”

“That would be lovely,” Mary Margaret said. “Thank you, Regina.”

“You two mean so much to her,” Regain said, “I just want to see her happy.”

“We all do,” Mary Margaret replied. “I will try to work through my feelings. I don’t want Emma to feel stressed about our relationship. Especially not now.”

She’ll be ecstatic to see you two tomorrow, I’m sure,” Regina said, giving Mary Margaret a reassuring smile.

\---

“Emma, relax,” Regina tried to soothe the next night as they were waiting for David and Mary Margaret to arrive for dinner.

“Relax?” Emma said. “How can I relax? My mom… well, you know.”

“Dear, please. I’m sure everything is going to be fine,” Regina told her.

Soon, Mary Margaret and David arrived and Mary Margaret made it perfectly clear she wanted to patch things up.

“Emma!” Mary Margaret greeted enthusiastically. “My, it sure has been a while. I’m sure you two have been very busy preparing for my favorite grandchild.”

“Your only grandchild, Mom,” Emma said with a smile.

Mary Margaret shrugged. “For now.”

Emma shot Regina a look as Regina took their coats. Regina merely shrugged as she ushered them to their dining room.

“Regina made lasagna,” Emma told them as she brought the glass dish out.

“It smells wonderful,” David said, piling his plate.

“Like father like daughter,” Regina joked.

“So, Emma. How are you feeling?” Mary Margaret asked.

“A little fatigued, but nothing I can’t handle,” Emma answered.

Regular small talk and life updates continued before things got serious.

“Emma,” Mary Margaret started, “I’m so sorry about that phone call, Sweetheart. I wasn’t thinking about how it would affect you. I was so caught up in how I was feeling about things from the past.”

“What do you mean?” Emma asked.

“Well as you know, you’re our miracle child. But there were quite a few years before we adopted you that your father and I tried to conceive a child. Now I can see why we weren’t able to-- fate knew we needed you-- but at the time it was very devastating. You announcing your pregnancy stirred up old feelings that had no business being there,” Mary Margaret told her. “I’m very happy for you. We both are. We can’t wait for the baby to be born so we can spoil them in true grandparent style.”

Emma smiled and had tears in her eyes. “Thank you, Mom. Sorry I’m crying, it’s just the hormones.”

“Oh, please. You’re allowed feelings, dear,” Regina reminded her, squeezing her arm.

The rest of dinner went smoothly until they were interrupted by the phone.

“Excuse me,” Regina told them as she left the table to answer it. Normally she wouldn’t. But then, normally it didn’t ring so late.

“Wonder who that could be,” Emma mused.

The trio sat patiently waiting for Regina to return. Just as Emma was about to get up and see if Regina needed anything, the woman dashed back into the dining room, panic in her eyes.

“I need to go,” she said quickly. “I’m so sorry, I need to go.”

Everyone looked at her, bewildered.

“Whoa, Regina, breathe!” Emma told her, taking her hands. “What’s the matter?”

“It’s my father,” Regina said, nearing tears. “He’s been taken to the hospital.”


	6. The Waiting Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma and Regina drive to Connecticut where Cora is waiting in all her bitter glory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTE: Tags have been updated

Emma made Regina sit on the passenger’s side while she drove. Regina was too upset and Emma didn’t want her to have any more stress tonight than she already did. Her parents told them to go, telling her that they’d take care of everything at the house.

“Call us if you need anything,” David said as they were leave.

“I will, I promise.”

Now they were driving to Connecticut, Emma having thrown a few essentials into a duffle and shoving it into the trunk of the Mercedes. Regina had been eerily quiet for the three hours they’d been on the road already.

“I know it sounds impossible right now, babe, but maybe you should try to get some sleep,” Emma said softly. When Regina didn’t reply, Emma looked over at her. She looked so small and helpless and Emma’s heart broke. She put her arm around Regina, who shuffled as close as she could across the console. She laid her head down on Emma’s shoulder. “Sleep. I’ve got you.”

“It’s not safe to drive like this,” Regina whispered hoarsely.

“I promise I’ll take my arm back if I need it,” Emma told her.

Regina merely nodded before drifting off.

After about three and a half more hours, they finally made it to the hospital where Henry was being treated.

“We’re here, babe,” Emma said, gently shaking Regina awake.

They quickly made their way to the front desk and were directed to where Henry was being kept.

Up ahead, Emma saw Cora sitting in a chair outside of the hospital room.

“Regina,” Cora greeted stiffly when she saw them.

“Mother,” Regina replied, just as stiffly.

“How is he?” Emma asked, attempting to break the tension.

“Regina, why did you bring her?” Cora asked in exasperation.

“Hey, no.  _ I _ brought  _ her _ ,” Emma jumped in. “She was in no shape to drive.”

Emma could feel Cora taking in her appearance, not-too-subtly stopping on her baby bump.

“Well thank you for your service Miss Swan, but I can take it from here as her  _ family _ ,” Cora told her, standing.

“Mother, please,” Regina said with irritation, “I want her here.”

“Regina, she’s not family,” Cora insisted. Regina opened her mouth to argue when-

“Stop,” Emma said. “I’m here as moral support for a friend.”

Regina turned to her, startled, eyes searching.

Emma looked back at her meaningfully. She just wanted this trip to go smoothly, especially under the given circumstances.

Emma turned back to Cora, “can you handle that? Just this once?”

“I suppose I have no choice,” Cora huffed, retaking her seat, Regina following suit.

“You never answered Emma, Mother,” Regina said after a few moments of stifling silence. “How is Daddy?”

For a moment Cora’s hardened exterior cracked before she pulled herself up tall. “I don’t know. They won’t give me any information.”

Regina stayed silent, unsure of how to proceed.

Emma, on the other hand, marched up to the front desk. “Hi, we’re waiting for information on Henry Mills?”

The woman typed something into the computer. “It says here that his tests should be done soon and more information will be available at that time.”

“Thank you.” Emma stood next to Regina and put a hand on her shoulder. “It’ll be okay.”

Regina covered Emma’s hand with her own and squeezed in acknowledgement.

Fifteen long minutes later, Dr. Kathryn Nolan approached them.

“Dr. Nolan, how is he?” Regina asked, standing quickly.

“I’m afraid the diagnosis isn’t good,” she told them sadly. “He’s on a ventilator right now. He suffered a massive heart attack. We’re not sure he’s going to pull through the night.”

Regina dissolved into tears turning and burying her face into Emma’s neck.

Cora, normally stoic, also started to tear up.

All Emma could do was stare at Dr. Nolan in shock and hold Regina tight. This was never how it was supposed to go. Henry was supposed to meet his grandson in a few months. He was supposed to spoil him as Cora feigned disinterest, but was really sneaking him extra cookies at dinner. Regina wasn’t supposed to lose him. Especially not now.

“May we see him?” Cora finally asked.

Dr. Nolan nodded and led them into to room.

Emma looked down at Henry. He was more pale than she’d ever seen him.

“Miss Swan, could you give us  _ family _ time?” Cora asked bitterly.

“Mother-” Regina started before Emma cut her off.

“Of course, Cora,” Emma ceded. She pressed a kiss to Regina’s temple and told her she’d be right outside.

“That’s gotta be hard,” Dr. Nolan commented once they were both outside the room. “Regina’s mom has never been easy, but your relationship has always incensed her more than usual.”

Emma would’ve been offended if Dr. Nolan hadn’t been a family friend. “She really wanted Regina to be the breadwinner with the arm-candy husband,” Emma said. “I kind of wrecked her plans by ‘turning her into a lesbian,’” she said, using air quotes.

Dr. Nolan laughed. “God, Regina has  _ always _ been a lesbian. Cora just never wanted to acknowledge it. Hell, Regina didn’t want to acknowledge it because she knew what it’d do to her mother. But I saw the way she looked at Linda Perry from that old band,  _ 4 Non Blondes _ . She listened to  _ What’s Up? _ On repeat for months. Claimed it was a great song, but I could see the truth.”

“Linda Perry, huh? Am I an anomaly then?” Emma asked. “She’s kind of in a band known for having zero blondes it it.”

“Quite the humor,” Dr. Nolan mused with a smile. “But no. Annie Lennox was absolutely on her list of favorites. I’m sure she would’ve been on her wall if Regina had ever been allowed to put posters up in her room.”

Emma nodded as the conversation lapsed into silence for a moment. “He’s not going to make it tonight, is he?”

Dr. Nolan’s face fell. She shook her head. “It’s not likely.”

“How long?”

“I’d guess a few hours,” she said, “maybe midday at most if he’s lucky.”

Emma checked her watch and saw that it was nearing 3AM. “I should get them some coffee.”

“Maybe with a peace offering like that Cora will let you stay for awhile,” Dr. Nolan said her.

“Here’s hoping,” Emma replied, thanking Dr. Nolan and taking her leave to find coffee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Small bit of trivia from this chapter. I love the movie Holiday Inn (actually just watched it last night with my parents) and it's legit the reason Regina's parents are from Connecticut. It's from a throwaway line, but it's one of my favs.
> 
> "How can I tell you where he went if I don't know which way is Connecticut?!"


	7. Support and Devotion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regina tries to stay around to support Cora, but Cora's remarks cannot be overlooked.

As predicted, Henry passed away about 8AM. Cora had relented, letting Emma stay in the room for Regina though she made sure to voice her disapproval of it before giving in.

“Mother, we should get you home,” Regina said gently. “You need some rest. You haven’t slept.”

“And go back to what?” Cora asked in a small voice.

Emma knew that Cora loved Henry, but it was pretty unsettling to see a usually put-together woman so distraught.

“We’ll stay with you for awhile,” Regina promised.

“As long as you need us,” Emma added.

Cora sobered up. “No, that won’t be necessary.”

Emma sighed internally. She knew it was because of her. “How would you feel if Regina stayed? Just Regina.”

Cora raised an eyebrow at this.

“I could stay for just a day or so after the funeral and Regina can get an airline ticket back whenever you’re ready.”

Regina turned to Emma, pain etched on her features, “Emma, I-”

“Hey,” Emma took her hands, “you both need this. It’s okay.”

Regina pulled Emma close enough that their foreheads touched. “But I need you.”

“I’m a call away, I promise. I’ll answer no matter what time of day,” Emma promised. “Your mother needs you. You also need to call Zelena.”

“God, I completely forgot,” Regina said, closing her eyes in exhaustion.

“Zelena isn’t Henry’s,” Cora said quietly.

“We know, Mother. We’ve all known for years. But Daddy didn’t care. He loved her as his own daughter,” Regina told her.

Cora turned to face her. “You knew?”

Regina scoffed, “Mother, please. Of course. She looks nothing like Daddy.”

“She takes after me,” Cora said firmly.

“That may be true, but it wasn’t that difficult to figure out,” Regina said. “It never deterred him and he didn’t love you less because of it.”

“How could you possibly know that?” Cora said, crossing her arms.

“We talked about it once. The last time I was at Christmas,” Regina told her.

“How long have you known?” Cora asked.

“Since Zelena was fifteen and I was thirteen,” Regina answered. “That horrible kid Victor Whale from down the street picked up on it.”

Cora pursed her lips and changed the subject. “Well, shall we go?”

\---

Zelena caught the first flight from London to Connecticut she could find. The funeral service was simple and elegant due to Regina’s fine planning. Many people came to pay their respects and Emma attended to Regina throughout the day.

“You should be resting,” Regina insisted, “you’re in your third trimester. We’re practically at your due date.”

Emma merely shrugged. “This day is the day I’m here for you.”

Regina took Emma’s hand and squeezed it, keeping the displays of affection to a minimum for her mother’s sake. She hated it, but she knew not to push today.

As promised, Emma stayed just one day after the funeral, before driving back to Storybrooke. Regina told her she’d call every day, but Emma told her just to focus on her family.

“It’s nice to have you here, Regina,” Cora commented a few hours after Emma left. “I feel like I never see you anymore.”

“I’d visit more often if I felt like you respected my partner,” Regina quipped.

“Now, now, Regina. Do we have to go through this again?” Cora asked, sitting down in her chair. “Emma’s a fine woman for a friend, but I don’t see how you can keep deluding yourself that she’s what you need romantically.”

“Mother please,” Regina attempted to keep her composure.

“Let’s not fight,” Cora said. “I think we could both use some sleep.”

“I’ll just be in my old room, then,” Regina said.

The two said their goodnights, but it turned out to be a shorter visit than either of them anticipated. Cora continuously made small comments about Regina’s relationship with Emma and she was home about a week later.

Neal and Emma were at the airport to greet her.

“I didn’t expect you back so soon,” Emma said, hugging her tight. “Not that I’m complaining.”

“Welcome back, Regina,” Neal greeted, also giving her a hug.

“I’m sorry your mother couldn’t get past it. Even though I wasn’t there,” Emma apologized.

Regina shook her head. “No, don’t apologize. Besides, now I’m home in time for our anniversary next week.”

Emma beamed and pulled Regina tight to her side as they linked arms. Emma then linked arms with Neal on her other side. “Are you okay with a movie night with Neal? We planned to start the Star Wars series tonight.”

“I don’t see why not,” Regina said, leaning forward and and smiling while making eye contact with Neal, who returned the smile.

“Yes!” Emma cheered.

Regina rolled her eyes. She didn’t understand the fascination Emma and Neal had with Star Wars, but she wasn’t about to ruin a perfectly good night to cuddle on the couch.

\---

About halfway through the second movie Emma had fallen asleep.

Regina looked over and saw Neal watching her. “Thank you for taking care of her while I was gone. I know she hates to be alone.”

“It was fun. Kind of like being back in college without all the alcohol,” Neal replied.

A comfortable silence blanketed them before Neal broke it again.

“Are you going to be okay, Regina?”

She took a deep breath. “I will be,” she told him honestly. She looked at the clock and saw that it was early morning. “The guest room is alway open to you.”

“I might actually take you up on that offer,” Neal told her.

The two of them attempted to wake Emma up, which resulted in the two of them having to guide a zombie-like Emma up the stairs and into the bedroom.

“She can really sleep,” Neal laughed.

“I hope it’s not this hard to wake her up when it’s her turn to get up in the middle of the night,” Regina joked.

“Nah, she’ll be too jazzed you two have a kid,” Neal said.

“I can’t believe the baby is almost here,” Regina said softly as she brushed back some of Emma’s hair. She turned to Neal and smiled. “Do you need anything tonight? I know you know where towels and such are, but is there anything else?”

“Nope, I’m all set,” Neal told her. “Goodnight, Regina.”

“Goodnight, Neal.”


	8. Baby Henry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The whole family welcomes baby Henry into the world!

“Regina.”

Regina yawn and opened her eyes to see Emma sitting up, eyes wide. “Emma? Are you alright?”

“I think the kid is ready,” Emma told her.

That had Regina up in an instant. “How long have you been up?” She asked, rushing to get dressed and grab Emma’s bag.

“Uh… half an hour?” Emma confessed.

Regina rolled her eyes, but couldn’t bite back a smile. “Of course you were.”

“I didn’t want to wake you if it wasn’t real,” Emma said.

“Emma, you know I’m here for you. For all of it,” Regina reminded her.

“And that’s why I woke you up,” Emma countered. She scrunched up her face as another contraction hit.

“We need to tell Neal what’s happening and then we’ll go,” Regina said.

“Neal?” Emma questioned.

“You were really out of it last night,” Regina chuckled. “He’s in our guest bedroom.”

“Right.”

Regina woke Neal and told him that Emma was in labor.

“You two want me to come with you?” Neal asked, yawning.

“Only if you want to be there, but Emma might like a second familiar face,” Regina said.

“To the hospital it is,” Neal replied, getting up and putting his jeans back on.

Regina drove as Neal sat in the backseat, offering up his hand to Emma for support.

“Regina, I don’t know if I’m ready,” Emma said in a panic.

“Emma Swan, you are the most ready person I’ve known,” Regina shot back. “You basically had us finishing the nursery before your second trimester!”

“What if I’m a bad mom?” Emma asked fearfully.

“Hey,” Neal said, tightening his grip on Emma’s hand, “you’re gonna be one hell of a mom. Don’t think any different.”

Regina shot Neal and grateful smile as they pulled into the hospital parking lot.

Emma was quickly admitted and then it turned into a waiting game. She spent most of the morning suffering contractions. During that time Regina and Neal took turns with Emma, trying to get her mind off of the pain.

Mary Margaret and David arrived around 9AM, four hours after Emma was admitted. It wasn’t until about 3PM that their son decided to show himself.

“You did great, Emma,” Regina told her, kissing her forehead. “He’s beautiful.”

“He’s so tiny,” Emma remarked.

“He won’t stay like that for long,” Regina joked. “But we can always hope he stays like this a little longer than the rest of the babies, hm?”

Emma beamed down at their son, before getting a serious look in her eye. “I know we talked about baby names already-- and Jared is a wonderful name, really-- but I had a different name in mind if you’re interested in hearing it.”

Regina laughed. “I should’ve known you’d look at him and change your mind.”

“Now, now, I think you’ll approve of this one right away,” Emma defended.

“Alright, what is it?” Regina asked.

“Henry,” Emma breathed.

For a moment Regina couldn't speak. She stared down at two pairs of bright green eyes-- both looking back at her. She reached out to stroke his soft brown hair. "Henry," she tested. "Henry is a perfect name."

"Henry Daniel Swan-Mills," Emma said. She shift as she turned to hand Henry to Regina. "It's definitely your turn to hold him, Mommy."

Regina laughed as she took him. "If I'm Mommy, who are you?"

"Mama," Emma replied, shrugging as if it was obvious. "It's close to 'Emma' and just seems right."

Regina hummed in agreement and the three of them sat together as a family for a few minutes before Emma asked if Regina was ready for more visitors.

"I should be asking  _ you _ that," Regina said.

"I'm ready whenever you are," Emma replied.

"You're dying for your mother to meet him, aren't you?"

"God, yes!" Emma exclaimed. "She's gonna flip at how cute he is."

"I'll go get your parents, then," Regina told her, handing Henry back.

"Wait," Emma stopped her. "Neal?"

Neal had taken his cue to leave when the nurses started prepping for the actual birth.

"Would you like me to ask him first?" Regina asked.

Emma nodded. "Give him the option to be first."

"Alright, I will."

"Kinda sucks we can only have two other people back here at a time, right now," Emma pouted.

"I know," Regina said as she kissed Emma's forehead and smoothed Henry's hair down. She then headed out to the waiting room. She saw Mary Margaret and David holding hands and simply waiting. Neal was up, holding a cup of coffee, and staring out of a window. When Emma's parents spotted Regina they immediately stood.

"How are they?" Mary Margaret asked.

"They're both doing fine," Regina assured them. "Emma is ready for visitors. However-- and please don't take this the wrong way-- Emma and I talked about asking Neal to be the third person to meet him.

Mary Margaret took a deep breath before nodding. "We understand."

Regina gave her a grateful smile before walking over to Neal. "Neal?"

He turned quickly. "How's Em? And the little guy?"

Regina beamed. "They're both doing fine. We wanted to invite you back first if that's something you'd like."

Neal glanced over at Emma's parents. And shook his head. "No. When Emma was adopted, her parents basically took me in too. They deserve to be first."

Regina gave his hand a squeeze and told him she'd come get him as soon as he could come back. On her way back to the room with Emma's parents she ran into one of the nurses attending to Emma. "Excuse me."

"What can I do for you?" She asked.

"I was wondering if you'd turn a blind eye to a  _ slight _ bending of the rules," Regina inquired.

The nurse looked at Regina, then at Emma's parents, and finally at Neal out in the waiting room. "Okay, but only for a short time."

Regina thanked her before retrieving Neal.

"Are you sure we aren't going to get in trouble?" Mary Margaret asked as the four stood outside Emma's door.

"Don't worry, MM," Neal told her, "no one can resist the Cassidy charm." He punctuated this with a smile that Mary Margaret couldn't help but return.

Regina opened the door and ushered Emma's parents and Neal inside.

"You brought them all," Emma observed.

"Only for a few minutes, but I didn't want to leave anyone out," Regina told her.

"Well guys," Emma started, pulling back the blanket so people could see him better, "this is Henry Daniel Swan-Mills."

"Oh, after Regina's father," Mary Margaret said gently.

Regina nodded and smiled. "It was Emma's idea."

Baby Henry then got passed around. First to his grandmother who, like Emma predicted, was ecstatic at how cute he was. Then she passed him to Neal.

"Since you're his... His uh..."

"His Neal," Neal finished for her.

The room erupted into laughter over that one.

Lastly, David was able to hold his grandson. "He's beautiful, you two." He leaned down, Henry secure against his chest, and kissed the top of Emma's head. "You did a great job."

"Thanks, Dad."

The nurse poked her head and informed the group that Emma needed her rest so she could go home tomorrow. They all said their goodbyes and Regina walked with Neal back out into the waiting room.

"That little guy is a miracle," Neal said with wonder. "I'm happy you let me be a part of him." He pulled Regina into a tight hug, which she gladly returned. He pulled back and kissed Regina on the cheek before heading out.

Regina returned to Emma's room to check on her family. She chuckled when she found Henry sleeping in a sleeping Emma's arms. She gently picked him up and cradled him to her body. She sat down and caressed his tiny face. "Your family loves you, Henry. Very much."


	9. A Big Shift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neal has big news for the Swan-Mills family.

The Swan-Mills trio did indeed go home the next day to start their adventure as a family. Neal popped in and out of their family bubble and Regina and Emma shared a lot of Henry’s moments with him, which he was grateful for. But around Henry’s third birthday, there was a huge shift in the dynamic.

Neal had been dating a woman named Tamara since Henry was one and a half. Everyone had gotten quite comfortable around her and soon Emma, being the annoying friend she was, started joking about when the wedding was. Turned out, Neal  _ did _ have big news.

“Dinner was great, as always,” Neal told Regina.

“She really embraces the motto of ‘no one shall go hungry in this house,’” Emma joked.

Regina smiled at the compliment before turning to Henry. “Neal has time to stay for one movie, baby. Why don’t you go pick one out?”

“Yay!” Henry cheered and grinned, hopping down from his chair and rushing into the living room.

The three adults gazed after him fondly.

“I do have something I need to discuss with you two,” Neal said seriously.

“What’s up?” Emma asked.

“Tamara and I are going to be moving in together,” he told them.

“Congratulations,” Regina said happily.

“It’s about damn time,” Emma commented.

“Language,” Regina scolded.

Emma stuck her tongue out at Regina and returned her attention to Neal. “when’s move-in day?”

“We’re hoping in two weeks,” Neal said. He sighed. “But it’s not going to be easy.”

“What do you mean?” Regina asked.

“We’re moving to New York,” Neal announced.

You could hear a pin drop as silence permeated the dining room.

“Wow,” Emma commented softly.

“It’s only a few hours away and you all can visit any time you want,” Neal told them hurriedly.

Emma smiled sadly and put her hand on his. “We knew we couldn’t hoard you forever, Neal. This is your time.”

“I picked Moana!” Henry announced as he ran back into the dining room, oblivious to the present tension.

Emma stood to assist Henry with the DVD.

“I don’t want to… stunt him or anything with me leaving,” Neal told Regina.

“He’ll be fine, Neal,” Regina assured him. “He’ll know you aren’t abandoning him.”

Neal chuckled. “You always could read me.”

“You and Emma are quite similar in certain respects,” Regina said.

“Yeah we are,” Neal agreed before joking, “I always wondered when her romantic prowess would rub off on me to get a woman of my own.”

Regina laughed. “You’re both very charming people. It’s a wonder you haven’t had someone as steady as Tamara before.”

“Guess I was just waiting for the right person,” Neal said.

“Does that mean-?”

“I think so,” Neal confided. “I think she’s the one.”

“I’m happy for you and I know Emma will be, too.”

“That’s pretty clear by the way she has been asking when we’re getting married since our six month anniversary,” Neal said.

“She could sense how much Tamara means to you,” Regina told him.

“I know. She also knows me too well,” Neal laughed. “How do you think the kid is gonna take it?”

“He’ll probably be upset for a little while, but he’s a resilient boy. We could arrange a weekly phone call. Then, in time, a once every two weeks call,” Regina said. “Emma and I both know you’ll be getting settled in and start to have quite the separate life from us. Henry will adjust.”

“I’m fine with keeping the call weekly, if that’s alright,” Neal offered. “He’s a great kid.”

Regina smiled. “For as long as you and Henry both would like to keep it weekly, we will.”

“Shouldn’t you be discussing this with Ems?” Neal asked.

“She knows I’m much better with the planning. She probably has an inkling that this is what we’re doing right now,” Regina told him.

“Stop working on the future and return to the present, you two!” Emma yelled from the living room.

“Right on schedule,” Regina laughed.

“Guess we better get out there,” Neal said.

“We can’t miss the opening,” Regina replied, getting up from her chair and rummaging around in the cabinets. “You go on out and I’ll make some popcorn really quick.”

Neal exited the dining room but popped his head back through the doorway. “Hey Regina? Thanks. You know, for listening.”

Regina smiled. “Any time, Neal.”

***

The next day, after Regina and Emma talked it over extensively with Neal and Tamara, the four adults sat down with Henry to tell him about the move.

“I don’t want you to go,” Henry said, a few tears welling up in his eyes as he lunged for Neal.

“Oh buddy, you can visit me anytime you want to,” Neal told him. “You’ve a very important guy to me.”

“I can visit every day?” Henry asked.

“Maybe not every day,” Neal told him, “but you can call me every day if that’s what you want.”

Henry thought this over-- his small face very serious-- before nodding. “Okay.”

“We already have plans to visit them once they are settled into their new place,” Emma assured him.

“We can’t wait until you see it,” Tamara added. “We think you’ll approve, Henry.”

“And you can always talk to Mommy and Mama about how you feel,” Neal reiterated. He didn’t want Henry keeping anything bottled up.

“I’ll miss you,” Henry said, his lower lip wobbling.

“We’ll miss you, too,” Neal told him gently, giving him another hug.

***

The day of the move came and more tears were shed-- not all of them from Henry.

“Jesus, have we ever been apart for more than a few weeks?” Emma asked, tears rolling down her cheeks.

“Not that I can remember,” Neal replied, “even once MM and David adopted you.”

“I couldn’t hang my best friend out to dry,” Emma told him.

Neal enveloped Emma into a fierce hug. “The kid wants to call every night, which means I won’t really be too far away,” he joked.

Emma gave a watery laugh.

The two parted and Emma gave Neal a half-hearted punch on the arm. “Go make some memories.”

“I love you,” Henry told Neal very seriously.

“I love you too, buddy,” Neal replied, hugging him and then ruffling his hair.

Well, we’re off,” Tamara announced.

The two hopped in their car-- having moved everything else earlier in the week-- and set off toward New York.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know some of the conversation with Henry MAY seem a little old, but trust me, I babysit this 3-year-old and she's pretty on top of it. I have a tendency to underestimate young children, so keeping her in mind helped my perspective.
> 
> Let me know what you think!


	10. Additions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A member is added to the family and Henry has a few questions.

Henry adjusted after a few months and pretty soon phone calls became more infrequent. Close to the time Henry turned five, Tamara and Neal drove back to the small town to surprised him for his birthday.

Neal waited outside of the primary school and basked in Henry’s bright grin when he spotted Neal.

“Neal! You’re here!” Henry screamed, crashing into his legs.

“Couldn’t miss your birthday, buddy!” Neal told him, lifting Henry up into his arms.

“Tamara too?” Henry asked.

“Of course,” Neal assured him. “She’s at home with your moms.”

“Let’s go, let’s go!” Henry demanded.

“Alright, alright we’re going!” Neal promised.

They drove straight to 108 Mifflin and Henry almost got out of the car before Neal had parked it.

“Tamara!” he cried, launching himself into Tamara’s arms. She returned the hug with vigor. “How long are you staying?”

“Only a few days, but we wanted to make sure to give you your gift in person,” Tamara told him.

All four adults exchanged knowing looks as Henry’s eyes lit up.

“What is it?” he asked excitedly.

“Why don’t you go out back and find out?” Neal told him.

Henry jumped off of Tamara and sprinted to the backyard.

“Wow!” he exclaimed, the adults filing after him. “I have a big boy bike!”

“Your moms decided that you were old enough to start trying to learn how to ride a bike without any training wheels,” Neal explained.

Henry beamed at his moms.

“There’s one other thing,” Tamara said, glance at Emma and Regina who nodded their heads.

“What is it?” Henry asked.

“You’re going to be a brother,” Tamara told him.

Henry looked to Emma and Regina. “When?”

“It’ll be awhile, buddy,” Neal told him.

“Do I have to share my room?” Henry asked.

All four adults started laughing.

“Henry, Tamara is having the baby. Not me or Mama,” Regina explained.

“That means they won’t be living with us and you don’t have to share your room,” Emma added.

“Then how am I going to be a big brother?” Henry asked. “Nick and Ava are brother and sister and  _ they _ live together.”

“Well, it’s a little different,” Regina started. She looked around to the other adults for help.

Neal jumped in. “You know how I’m Your Neal?”

Henry nodded.

“Well you’re something special. You’re part me, part Mommy, and part Mama,” Neal explained. “The new baby is only going to be part me and part Tamara.”

“Oh,” Henry said. “So since the new baby isn’t part Mommy and Mama, they can’t stay here?”

“We’ll all come to visit but no, the baby wouldn’t be staying here,” Tamara told him.

Henry nodded and then shrugged. “Okay.” He turned to Emma. “Can you teach me how to ride my big boy bike?”

“Of course, kid,” Emma replied.

Henry started to push his bike to the front yard as all of the adults let out a breath of relief.

“He took it very well,” Regina said.

“The little man is tough,” Neal added.

“He certainly is,” Tamara agreed.

“Guess I better go supervise or he’s going to be riding down the block without me,” Emma joked, seeing Henry already mounting the bike.

***

Henry was really excited about his baby sister when she was born. However, he was also impatient.

“Why can’t she play with me?” Henry asked when they went to visit her at the hospital.

“She’s too little,” Emma explained. “She doesn’t know as much as you right now.”

“When she’s a few years older she’ll be able to play with you, Sweetie,” Regina told him.

Henry sighed. “That’s a long time.”

The adults laughed.

“You can stick it out, Bud,” Neal. “In the meantime you still have Nick to play with.”

“Fine,” he said.

“What’s her name?” Regina asked, shifting the subject.

“Her name is Elise Lucille,” Tamara said.

“Would you like to hold her?” Neal asked Henry.

Henry nodded vigorously.

Emma sat him down securely in a chair and Neal carefully handed him his baby sister.

“She’s small,” Henry commented.

“One day she’ll be as big as you,” Emma told him.

“Then she can ride a bike with me!” Henry exclaimed.

Regina and Emma shared a smile.

“I’m glad he’s taking it well,” Regina whispered to Emma.

“Me too.”

“Can I call her when I call Neal and Tamara?” Henry asked.

“She can’t quite talk yet,” Tamara told him, “but you can talk to her.”

Henry thought about that before deciding that it was a good compromise.

“We’re going to be needing to leave soon,” Regina reminded them.

“It’ll be good for you to get some sleep, anyway,” Emma told Tamara, “trust me.”

They all said their goodbyes and the Swan-Mills family headed back to Storybrooke.

“How come Ava and Nick have only a daddy and I have two mommies?” Henry asked as they were driving back to Storybrooke.

“All families are different, Munchkin,” Regina told him. “Some families are like Ava and Nick’s and some families are like ours.”

“Elise is going to have a mommy  _ and _ a daddy,” Henry pointed out.

“Exactly,” Emma chimed in.

“But Nick and Ava only have one daddy,” Henry persisted.

“Sometimes that’s how it is,” Regina told him.

“You know Auntie Ruby?” Emma asked.

Henry nodded.

“Auntie Ruby was raised by Granny.”

“Not her mommies or daddies?”

Regina stifled a laugh. They definitely had a little more explaining to do about biology and relationships, but they’d get there.

“Nope,” Emma replied. “Auntie Ruby’s mommy and daddy couldn’t take care of her. Granny loved her so much that she wanted to do it.”

Henry nodded thoughtfully before asking, “do we have anymore graham crackers?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know how I'm doing! While I'm DC, I've never lived in a blended family such as this. I wanna know what you think!


	11. "The Talk"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry's class is going to be learning about sex ed and he has some qualms about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One chapter left after this! Real talk, shout out to lolaughoutloud1 for reviewing my story and getting my butt in gear. I've been holding on this chapter for awhile!

“Mrs. Gold wants all of our parents to be aware we’re about to learn about sex,” Henry told Emma one day when she picked him up from school.

Emma resisted the urge to cringe. “Well, we knew it was happening soon. Thanks for the heads up.”

“It starts next week and I don’t really want to go,” Henry said, shifting uncomfortably.

“Kid, the sex talk is an awkward right of passage every teen goes through,” Emma told him, pulling away from the curb and heading toward the mansion.

“It’s not just that,” Henry started. “I just. I  _ know _ about sex.”

“Yeah, because your mom and I never shied away from any questions you had growing up. We felt it was important not to keep anything from you.”

Henry sighed and looked out the window, pressing his cheek against the glass.

“Alright, what is it?” Emma asked. “Is it because there are gonna be girls there, too?”

“Do you not remember the time you two thought it was appropriate to talk about sex while Paige was over?” Henry reminded her.

“So…?” Emma pressed.

“Everyone knows I have two moms,” Henry mumbled.

Emma sighed as they pulled into the driveway. “It’s going to be awkward for maybe a minute when everyone thinks about it, but the next minute? They’re going to be grossed out with some picture of an STD.”

“They’re called STIs now,” Henry said.

“Whatever. The point is, it’s not going to matter for too long, okay?”

“Do you think they’re even going to talk about gay couples?” Henry asked.

“It’s 2012, you never know,” Emma told him. “And if they don’t… well it’s a lot of people’s loss, but we’ll figure it out.”

“Okay.”

***

“He was pretty upset about it,” Emma told Regina later that night, as they were washing dishes.

“He’s always been an advocate,” Regina pointed out, “but maybe there’s something else going on.”

“What could he be upset about?”

Regina stopped washing the plate in her hand, frozen. “You don’t think…” she paused, gathering her words. “You don’t think it’s because of his conception, do you?”

“Why would it be?” Emma asked.

“We haven’t spoken much to Neal in a while,” Regina pointed out.

“Regina, we’ve all been busy,” Emma countered. “Elise started kindergarten this year and I’m sure Neal and Tamara are adjusting to that, as well as the new baby. Henry’s in middle school and no one would want to go back to those days. He’s also adjusting.”

“That’s just it, Emma. He’s in middle school. Kids can be mean,” Regina said.

“All the same kids have been going to school together their whole lives. You think one sex ed class is going to change the way people look at him?” Emma asked in confusion.

“ _ I _ don’t think so, but what if he does?” Regina argued.

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” Emma replied brusquely.

“Why does this bother you so much?” Regina demanded. By now the dishes were all but forgotten.

Emma dried her hands and leaned back against the counter, arms crossed. “He’s not different, Regina. I don’t  _ ever _ want him to think he’s different,” Emma told her, her voice near a whisper as she held back tears.

Regina dried her hands and stepped in front of Emma, rubbing her hands up and down Emma’s upper arms. “Emma, he  _ is _ different. We’re  _ all _ different. That doesn’t make us any less and he knows that.”

Emma turned her head away defiantly.

Regina sighed. “His conception was… unconventional. But he’s here. He’s ours. And we need to make sure that he’s just as happy with his life as we are.”

“How are you so good with all of this?” Emma asked.

“What do you mean?”

“I… I don’t want to pick at old wounds,” Emma said.

“Are you asking because Henry isn’t biologically related to me?” Regina asked.

“It’s stupid,” Emma muttered, “he’s so much like you it’s ridiculous.”

“You don’t have to worry about me, Emma,” Regina told her. “Right now we need to focus on Henry.”

“You’re right,” Emma pushed Regina away gently and wiped her face. “Kid’s probably still up reading.”

“Oh, I’d bet money on it,” Regina replied.

The two women climbed the stairs and knocked on Henry’s door. Once inside they each sat on the bed.

“Something’s going on,” Henry stated, putting a slip of paper into his book as a bookmark.

“We wanted to talk about the sex ed class,” Regina told him bluntly.

“What about it?” he asked.

“You seemed very uncomfortable about it in the car,” Emma pointed out. “What’s up?”

Henry sighed and pushed a hand through his hair. “The way I was born isn’t exactly what they’re going to be talking about,” Henry said. “I know the class is about hormones and safe sex, because we’re getting older but what about different types of families?”

“You feel overlooked,” Regina said.

Henry nodded.

“There are always going to be people who don’t understand,” Emma told him, “but there are going to be many more people out there that love and support you. Your mom and I, Neal and Tamara. And hey, your mom knows Belle pretty well. Would you like her to pull a few strings?”

“Could you?” Henry asked, wide-eyed.

“Of course, honey,” Regina said, kissing him on the forehead. “Now get some sleep, okay?”

“Night, moms. I love you,” Henry told them, snuggling down into his covers.

“Love you, too,” Regina replied.

“Love you. Night, kid,” Emma said before turning out the light and shutting the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!


	12. The Lake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter with bonding from the whole family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter is short and took awhile to get posted! I wasn't sure exactly how to end it, but I think this is perfect.

“Come on, kid! Car’s leaving in five minutes!” Emma shouted up the stairs.

“I’m just trying to decide which books to bring!” Henry shouted back.

“You think you’ll have time to read?” Emma laughed, “Elise and Jaxton will be on you to play with them the whole two weeks!”

“Fine, fine,” Henry mumbled as he raced down the stairs.

“So what books did you pick?” Regina asked.

“ _ The Help _ and  _ Night Circus _ ,” Henry admitted.

“What a fun guy,” Emma commented.

“They both come highly recommended from Mrs. Gold,” Henry defended.   
“Belle  _ does _ have excellent taste in books,” Regina pointed out.

“Well, settle in, because we’ve got quite a drive ahead of us,” Emma told them.

***

The next day the trio pulled up to a small trailer near a lake.

“You guys made it!” Neal exclaimed.

“Welcome to our getaway spot,” Tamara said.

“Henry!” Elise yelled as she ran out of the trailer and straight into Henry.

“Oof. Hey, Elise,” Henry greeted.

“So what’s first?” Emma asked.

“Well, after you guys get your things inside we were thinking of taking you out on the lake,” Neal told them.

“We can ride the tube!” Elise said excitedly.

“We recently bought a huge raft for tubing,” Tamara explained. “We thought all three kids would like it.

“Then let’s get unpacking!” Emma said.

The three of them unpacked the car and quickly changed into their bathing suits and donned lots of sunscreen.

“Your mom might be able to tan, but you got stuck with my pasty white skin!” Emma joked as she rubbed the sunscreen onto Henry’s back.

“Also guilty as charged,” Neal added.

“Ugh, wish I could inherit Mom’s skin like I did her love of coffee,” Henry griped lightly.

“Mom saved our skin!” Elise taunted.

“That doesn’t get you off the hook, young lady,” Tamara told her, “neither of you. Sunscreen is still important for you to wear.”

Elise pouted slightly but gave in, while Neal put sunscreen on Jaxton.

“Who’s going first on this thing?” Emma asked as they drove the pontoon farther out.

“Dibs!” Henry yelled. “I’m oldest!”

“But  _ I’m _ a lady!” Elise argued.

“Henry called it first,” Tamara said, “you can go second.”

Henry got settled into the tube and gave the thumbs up to Neal, who was driving the boat.

“Kid’s not gonna know what hit him,” Neal told Emma and Regina while grinning like a maniac.

Neal gunned it and soon they were zooming through dozens of other boat’s wakes.

Henry bounced at least five feet into the air on the wake that threw him into the chilled water.

“Whoa!” Elise exclaimed.

“I wanna do  _ that _ !” Jaxton yelled.

“That was amazing,” Henry said, climbing back into the boat. “I didn’t know it could go that high.”

“Plenty more where that came from, kid,” Neal told him with a wink.

Emma rolled her eyes and smiled.

“He just can’t help himself, can he?” Tamara asked, moving to sit next to Emma.

“He’s never been able to before,” Emma agreed.

Neal ruffled Henry’s hair as Elise and Jaxton both got onto the tube.

“Don’t think you two are getting out of a turn,” Neal said to Emma and Regina.

“And miss out on all the fun?” Emma replied?”

Regina laughed. “Bring it on.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me what you think! I also hope this story got some of you thinking about donor conception. Anonymity is still (wrongly) an option in many places. Everyone should know where their genetics are from.


End file.
